Five years on, Tavistock family shares powerful tribute in daughter’s memory

A Tavistock family has shared the story of their daughter’s death by suicide five years on, as they prepare to take on a fundraising trek across the Sahara Desert in her memory.

Darcy Hollinson was 17 when she passed away, and her family are speaking publicly to raise awareness of young people’s mental health and to support the charity PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide.

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Describing her as “bright, spirited and endlessly curious”, her family said she had been looking ahead to the future, with multiple university offers and ambitions ranging from archaeology to dentistry.

“Darcy was just starting,” they said. “She was ambitious and brightened every room she entered.”

They described her as “charming, engaging and considerate”, with a lively personality and confidence to question and contribute to conversations on a wide range of subjects.

Five years on, they said the passage of time has felt very different for them compared to the world around them.

“In the years since, time has moved on for everyone else, but in so many ways, Darcy’s time has stood still,” they said.

The family remain close to Darcy’s friends and have watched them move on through education and into careers, something they say brings both pride and pain.

“We are proud of every one of them. But it is bittersweet,” they said. 

“We are watching them grow up and, with every milestone, wishing we were watching Darcy do the same.”

They also spoke about the wider impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people’s mental health, describing it as a particularly difficult period.

ABOVE: Michael Hollinson and daughter Darcy in a hot air balloon over North Africa

“Darcy was among many young people whose mental health was profoundly affected by the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic,” they said.

“Social isolation… had far-reaching effects on trust, wellbeing and the decisions young people made during one of the most formative periods of their lives.”

Spring remains the most difficult time of year for the family, marking a series of painful anniversaries.

“April brings the anniversary of losing our girl. May brings the anniversary of laying her to rest. Then June, her birthday,” they said.

To mark what would have been Darcy’s 18th birthday, the family planted a magnolia tree in her memory, and, this year, it has flowered for the first time.

“It is both beautiful and heartbreaking and a living reminder of everything Darcy was and everything she will never get to be,” they said.

ABOVE: Darcy's magnolia tree in bloom

In November, the family will take on a 100km trek across the Sahara Desert as part of “Team Darcy”, raising funds for PAPYRUS.

Darcy's family would be delighted to receive any donations, no matter how small, at the following JustGiving page: Team Darcy – 100km Across the Sahara Desert is fundraising for PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide.

They said the challenge reflects the experience of struggling mental health.

“The desert tells a story. It is vast, silent and unforgiving,” they said. 

“For many young people, mental health can feel the same, a lonely, punishing landscape, with no visible way out.”

They added: “Each step across the desert reflects the enormous courage it takes to keep going when everything feels impossible.”

The family hope their efforts will encourage more open conversations about mental health and suicide prevention.

“This trek is as much a message as a challenge: stopping is not the only option, and no one should have to face their hardest moments by themselves,” they said.

They also welcomed recent changes that will see suicide prevention included in the school curriculum in England from September.

“This matters enormously. Education, early conversation and reducing stigma are the foundation of everything,” they said.

Above all, they emphasised the importance of everyday kindness.

“People often think suicide prevention is only crisis lines. But it is also the everyday things: how we speak to people, how we treat them,” they said. 

“Kindness is free, and it can genuinely keep someone going.”

Reflecting on their loss, they said grief remains an ongoing part of their lives.

“Five years in, grief is not linear. It doesn’t tidy itself away,” they said. 

“We don’t do this because we are over it. We will never get over the loss of our girl. We do it because of how deeply we love her.”

For practical, confidential suicide prevention help and advice, please contact PAPYRUS HOPELINE247 on 0800 068 4141, text 88247 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org